Will China Attack Taiwan? 14 Chinese Military Aircraft Tracked Around Country

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several lawmakers and experts have been worried about China taking inspiration from Moscow, regarding Taiwan.

However, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth is of the opinion that an "amphibious invasion of Taiwan" was unlikely, even though between Monday and Tuesday morning, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 14 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around the island nation.

Wormuth said Monday at an event hosted by Washington, D.C.-based think tank American Enterprise Institute that China will not likely attack Taiwan.

"I'm personally not of the view that an amphibious invasion of Taiwan is imminent, but we have to obviously prepare. We have got to be prepared to fight and win that war," she said, adding the U.S. wanted to "avoid fighting a land war in Asia."

Meanwhile, U.S. Army Pacific Commander General Charles Flynn said China's actions hint at an invasion that could take place at some point. However, the delay may be because Beijing was not ready to attack Taiwan.

"They are on a historical trajectory. The military arm they have created is extraordinary," he said. "They are preparing those forces for something ... The prize is Taiwan."

Wormuth and Flynn's comments came after CIA Director William Burns said there were chances that Chinese leader Xi Jinping may have doubts about his nation's ability to seize Taiwan by 2027.

"I think our judgment at least is that President Xi and his military leadership have doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion," he said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

In the last few months, China has increased daily incursions around Taiwan. Since the beginning of February, Beijing has sent more than 300 military aircraft and over 100 naval ships around Taiwan.

Of the 14 People's Liberation Army aircraft, four were tracked in Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) MND said. Two Shenyang J-11 fighter jets crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest sector of the ADIZ, the report said.

Taiwan's ADIZ also spotted one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane and one Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone in the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ as well.

Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said earlier this month the country has started speeding up the development and production of drones amid the growing threats.

"Responding to the present enemy threat and using the general experience of drones in the Ukraine-Russia war to construct an asymmetric combat power for our country's drones, the defense ministry is speeding up research, development, and production of various drones," Sun said.

Shu Hsiao-Huang, a warfighting concepts analyst at Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Taiwan's government think tank, said: "Military drones have played an important role in the Ukraine-Russia war as both Russia and Ukraine are using them to locate enemy targets and guide artillery fire towards them."

"They will also be effective for Taiwan when it comes to locating enemy targets and guiding the attacks," he said.